Trolley-wire support



.W. MBAKBR. Y LEY WIRE SUPPORT. 1\Io.545,806.l Patented Sept. 3,1895.

ings, in whichbeing secured to the support by separate N ITE JOIIN W'.` MEAKER, OF

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-WIRE su PPoaT,

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 545,806, dated September 3, 1895.

SerialNc. 529.209. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. MEAKER, a citizen of Vthe United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Wire Supports, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. Ltis an end View. Fig. 5 is a view of the lower end of a bolt; and Fig. 6 is a side view, the bolt being in section.

My invention relates to devices for supporting the trolley wires of overhead electric railways, and relates particularly to that class of trolley-wire supports in which the wire is secured to the support by a clip of thin sheet metal, which embraces the wire and binds it against the under edge of the support. Various devices have heretofore been used for securing the wire to the support, as for instance, clips which embrace the wire and are bent over the ends of the support and clips which embrace the wire and are riveted to the support or secured thereto by other devices, in some instances the ends of the clip wedges arranged at the ends of the clip; but for various'reasons the constructions heretofore used have proved more or less unsatisfactory.

'Ihe objects of my invention are to provide an improved trolley-wire support which will be so constructed that the clip which secures the wire to the hanger will be capable of being readily removed, which will permit of the ready adjustment of the position of the clip with reference to the hanger, so that the wire may be readily loosened or tightened, as desired, which will lessen the numberof parts and otherwise simplify the construction of the support, and which will be provided with means whereby the clip may be firmly locked in place, so that it will not be subject to accidental displacement. I accomplish these objects as hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the'claims.

In the drawings, 7 indicates a bolt, and S a hanger which is secured thereto. The bolt 7 may be of' anyv approved construction and may be provided with any suitable means for attachment to the hangen In Figs. l to 4 l have shown the lower end of the bolt as being Vscrewthreadedl and the hanger as attached thereto by that means. In Figs. 5 and 6 a bolt is shown whichhas a slot in its lower end which receives a tongue rising from the hanger. Either form may be used; out I prefer the former method, as it is superior to any other at present known to me.

As shown in Fig. 3, the hanger Sis provided with a horizontal portion 9, the lower edge of which is preferably recessed to properly re ceive the trolley-wire lO, as shown in Fig. 4. The upper edge of the horizontal portion 9 of the hanger is inclined, as shown in Fig. 3, and is provided at its opposite sides with flanges 1l l2, as shown in Fig. t. I do not confine myself to the particular construction shown for providing the side flanges 11 and 12 on the upper edge of the hanger, as these tlanges may be formed in any :manner suitable for the purpose. The inclined upper edge of the hanger makes it wedge shape to co-operate with the Wedge-shaped clip 13, which is made of thin sheet metal and is adapted to receive the horizontal portion of the hanger, as shown in Fig. 4'. The general contour of the clip 13 in side elevation is Wedge shape, its lower portion being adapted to receive the Wire, its upper edges being parallel with the upper edges of the hanger, as shown in Fig. 3. The clip 13 is provided at its upper edges with flanges or hooks 14:, which are arranged to iit over the flanges 11 12, thereby binding the clip upon the horizontal portion of the hanger. It is evident that, owing to the peculiar shape of the clip and hanger, by movingthe clip in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l the horizontal portion of the hanger will act as a wedge, causing the clip to bind the wire l0 tightly against its lower edge, as shown in Fig. 3, the degree of tightness by which the wire is bound being determined-by the force with which the clip is driven in place.

In order to lock the clip in place and pren vent it from being accidentally loosened, the clip is provided. at its broader 4end with one or more, preferably two, ears 15, which are bent around the end of the hanger when the IOO clipis driven into place, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, thereby preventing movement of the clip. It will be seen that by this construction the lineman may readily adjust the trolley wire when necessary, as in order to loosen it it is only necessary to pry up the ears l5, when by slightly tapping one end of the hanger the clip may be withdrawn wholly or partially.

The hanger may be very easily manufactured, inasmuch as it consists of only two parts,both of which are simple in Construction.

That which claim as my invention, and desire to secure by. Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a hanger having an inclined upper edge, of a clip having also an inclined upper edge, saidvclip being adapted to receive said hanger and to be wedged thereupon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a hanger, of a clip movable longitudinally on the hanger and acting to bind-a trolley wire directly against said hanger, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a hanger, of a clip which binds a trolley wire directly against said hanger, and is movable longitudinally to either increase or diminish the binding action of the wire against said hanger, substantially as decribed.

4. The combination with a hanger, ofa clip adapted to be attached thereto for the purpose of gripping the trolley wire, said clip being movable longitudinally of the hanger in 'one direction or the other for the purpose of tightening or loosening the trolley wire, and means for locking the clip tothe hanger when shifted thereupon to tighten the wire against said hanger, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a hanger, of a clip adapted to be attached thereto for the purpose of gripping the trolley wire, said clip being movable longitudinally of the hanger in one direction or the other for the purpose of tightening or loosening the trolley wire, and ears l5 carried by said clip, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a hanger having an inclined upper edge, of a clip having iuclincd flanges or hooks at its upper edges to engage the inclined edge of the hanger, said clip being movable longitudinally of the hanger, and acting to bind a trolley wire directly against the lower edge of the hanger, substantially as described.

. JOHN W. MEAKER.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. JAcKsoN, A. H. ADAMS. 

